I recall the discussion on the flyssa, and we got going pretty good discussing the very elusive history and variations of these interesting edged weapons, which range in size from shorter dagger size to very long swords.
Mike,
I think the problem Stone had stating these were Moroccan derives more from the equally elusive geography of North Africa when discussing Berbers, who exceed any such boundaries. The Kabyles are of course of the Berber confederation of tribes (Ar. gabail= 'the tribes' describing Berbers generally by Arabs), but here we are referring actually to the Iflisen which is either a tribe or village or both in the rugged Djurdjura range of Little Atlas Mountains in Algeria.
It seems from references in Brittanica that these tribes are nominally Sunni Muslims of Malakite rite whose center is actually in Morocco. Possibly this, or the wider description of the Maghreb (which includes Morocco and Algeria) or even the dispersement of the Kabyles Berbers into Moroccan regions may account for that designation by Stone.
As can be seen by the earlier thread linked here, much on the flyssa remains unresolved. It would be interesting to hear if anyone out there has come up with any new ideas or observations on them.
Best regards,
Jim
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